8 Ways to Get Your Goals to Stick

The holiday decorations all are cleaned up and put away, and many of us are also ready to get a clean start on our health & lifestyles in the New Year. Which makes it a good time to set resolutions and goals.

Resolutions can be about anything – they can be changes we want to make personally, professionally, goals for our health, or our business/family. Maybe we want to move on and forgive, or let go of something holding us back. It can be to give up something – like sugar or alcohol. Or it can be to get more of something – like one of my goals to weight lift 2-3 times a week.

If you set resolutions, but have already fallen off the wagon – maybe it is because you were too broad, or didn’t have the support you needed. Just know, it is not too late to start again! It is never too late to set a resolution or a goal.

Here are a few tips to help you set goals and resolutions that stick – all year long!

Be specific and realistic. A common mistake is to set resolutions that are not specific enough. When we set goals that are too broad – they are less tangible and measurable. Or maybe your goal is specific, but not realistic. Both can cause frustration and cause us to give up easier.So instead of “I want to lose weight.” Decide a realistic number that you want to achieve in a period of time – for example: “my goal is to lose 10 pounds by Valentines Day.” When I was setting my resolutions this year – I realized that a couple of them were too broad. So I narrowed them down, and by doing so – I was able to more clearly define what the action items I needed to do to achieve them.

Be Action and Habit-Oriented. When we don’t think about the actual tactics to reach our goal – we are more likely to fall off the wagon. So maybe we will start each day with a green smoothie with protein powder instead of our usual bagel and a frappuccino. Or perhaps we will replace 1 sugar sweetened drink with a glass of water each day. Maybe a new habit would be to wake up 15 minutes earlier so you can get in a quick workout at home, or get more organized for work.

Write them down. The very act of writing something down, causes you to connect to it more, and makes it more real. Even just writing your resolution down on a Post It and tacking it where you can see it every day – can help you to see it through.

Tell someone. One way to get your resolutions to stick is to – tell people about them! No – you do not have to post them on the Internet. Maybe you can find a buddy to hold each other accountable and be resolution buddies.

Prioritize & Focus. Setting too many goals at once can be really overwhelming. Pick one or two goals to put all your energy into now, and then when you achieve those goals, move on to the next ones. If you do want to set more than one goal – just prioritize them. Figure out what are the more pressing/short term goals, and which ones are more long term. This helps you to prioritize what you need to get done first, and what can wait until later. The longer term goals might take more steps to get there. Whereas the short term goals might be more pressing and have more of a deadline.

Create a mantra. Whenever my brother decided it was time to clean up his diet, he always called it his “program of excellence.” So if he was tempted by a cookie or something, he would say “nope – I am on the program of excellence.” One of the most famous mantras is “Keep calm and carry on.” Someone near and dear to me used that during her chemotherapy – to help her stay calm and help her get through the pain and worry. We could use that to walk by the candy dish at the office too.

Get the Support & Information You Need. One of the pitfalls to reaching our goals is trying to get good results from bad information. For example, trying to lose weight by cutting calories or cutting fat – is not going to get you the results you want – and you will be miserable in the process! We can’t get good results from bad information! So seeking out good information and support can help you be successful. You might want to buy a book (like The Perfect Metabolism Plan), sign up for an online summit (like The Metabolism Summit) , or perhaps you have the budget to hire a coach. I am very excited about 2016 – because I have decided to hire 2 business coaches to help me reach my 2016 business goals.

Keep going & lose the guilt! Sometimes when we set out to reach new goal – we might not hit it out of the ballpark the first time. We might veer off the road. If you do – don’t beat yourself up about it or quit. Instead, just shake it off – identify what could have led you astray – and learn from it so you won’t repeat it. Just pick right back up where you left off. Believe in yourself – you can do this!!

I want to hear from you. How could I best support you in 2016 to help you reach your health and nutrition goals for 2016?

*This article is for educational purposes only. The content contained in this article is not to be construed as providing medical advice. All information provided is general and not specific to individuals. Persons with questions about the above content as how it relates to them, should contact their medical professional. Persons already taking prescription medications should consult a doctor before making any changes to their supplements or medications.

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